SNAP POLL: Do you think the BBC Question Time debate audience was biased?
Rishi Sunak, Sir Keir Starmer, Ed Davey, and John Swinney faced questions in York last night
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Last night, the leaders of the four main political parties were grilled on BBC Question Time for half an hour each by an audience in York.
Now the programme has been accused of bias after audience members heckled Rishi Sunak over his comments about membership in the ECHR.
Viewers complained to Ofcom after voters selected to question the leaders were branded "woke liberals" and biased against Rishi Sunak.
People watching from home accused the programme of being "skewed to left-wing bias" meaning Sunak had difficulty winning over a "lefty liberal" audience.
BBC host Fiona Bruce, who received criticism for allegedly "constantly interrupting" the potential four leaders, claimed the audience was representative of the wider electorate.
She said: "[Leaders] will stand here and answer questions from our audience which as always reflects the range of political sentiment across the whole country."
However, Sunak's ECHR exchange prompted a large social media backlash.
One viewer said: "The Question Time audience must have been bussed in specially from Labour Central. The bias is shocking. I knew there was a reason that I hadn't watched it in years."
Sunak was heckled over his comments on the ECHR
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Another wrote: "That leaders debate on the BBC was so skewed to left-wing bias you just knew that Sunak would not get an easy ride. Not that he should but the lefty liberals always get a much softer interrogation and appreciative audience."
A third added: "A stacked deck of woke liberal audience. Rishi actually held up well considering the hostile audience and hostile Fiona Bruce. The BBC bias was out in force."
It comes after the BBC faced criticism for not including Nigel Farage in the debate, despite Reform UK polling higher than the Conservatives in a YouGov poll.
Bruce appeared to defend the decision to omit Farage from tonight's debate when she introduced the special edition of Question Time in York.
She said: "No desk for the usual panel tonight, just the four leaders of Great Britain’s main parties, one after another, who will stand here and answer questions from our audience."
With that in mind, do you think the BBC Question Time debate was bias? Have your say above now.
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